Sulfonium Salts as Leaving Groups for Aromatic Labelling of Drug-like Small Molecules with Fluorine-18

Positron emission tomography (PET) is unique in that it allows quantification of biochemical processes in vivo, but difficulties with preparing suitably labelled radiotracers limit its scientific and diagnostic applications. Aromatic [18F]fluorination of drug-like small molecules is particularly challenging as their functional group compositions often impair the labelling efficiency. Herein, we report a new strategy for incorporation of 18F into highly functionalized aromatic compounds using sulfonium salts as leaving groups. The method is compatible with pharmacologically relevant functional groups, including aliphatic amines and basic heterocycles. Activated substrates react with [18F]fluoride at room temperature, and with heating the reaction proceeds in the presence of hydrogen bond donors. Furthermore, the use of electron rich spectator ligands allows efficient and regioselective [18F]fluorination of non-activated aromatic moieties. The method provides a broadly applicable route for 18F labelling of biologically active small molecules, and offers immediate practical benefits for drug discovery and imaging with PET.